These gluten-free monkey bread muffins are ooey and gooey and taste just like the classic! Made from scratch with an easy homemade biscuit-style dough, cinnamon coconut sugar coating, and a coconut butter glaze. This recipe makes breakfast easy - grab a cup of coffee and a muffin and you're good to go!

Six muffins in a grey tin with white paper liners and a white glaze.

Disclaimer - this is not your grandma's monkey bread. However, these gluten-free moneky bread muffins put a fun, classy, and healthy twist on the traditional sticky treat. Each muffin is gooey and fluffy but, most importantly, you can have your own 😉

These gluten-free monkey bread muffins are completely made from scratch with homemade gluten-free dough and a luscious coconut butter glaze. You'll get a healthy dose of cinnamon coconut sugar amazing-ness with every bite.

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What is Monkey Bread?
Ingredients
Step by step directions
How to store
Recipe
Reviews

Muffins with white paper liners scattered on a cooling rack with glaze.

Table of Contents

What is Monkey Bread?

The classic monkey bread contains pieces of biscuit dough, melted butter, and lots of cinnamon sugar. It's usually made in a bundt cake pan and enjoyed by pulling off pieces of dough with your hands.

This gluten-free monkey bread recipe looks and tastes just like the original but better (IMO). They key to a good monkey bread is hints of cinnamon and a major fluff factor which is just what we have here. On top of that, you can enjoy a hand-held muffin all to yourself! It's a win-win situation if you ask me.

Up close image of a tan muffin inside a muffin pin with a white paper liner and glaze.

Ingredients

You just need a few simple gluten-free pantry staples to make these vegan and gluten-free monkey bread muffins:

Coconut milk + Apple cider vinegar - also known as "vegan buttermilk". We use this mixture to help our dough rise (aka achieve some serious fluff factor)
Cassava flour + Tapioca flour - the combination of cassava and tapioca four ensures a doughy, gluten-free consistency
Coconut sugar - unlike typical biscuit dough, a little coconut sugar adds a touch of sweet sugar crystals that are amazing when baked
Maple syrup - this is drizzled over top of the balls of dough before baking to provide a sweet gooey texture to the muffins
Coconut butter - instead of traditional icing, melted coconut butter is a great healthier alternative!

Single muffin with a white paper liner and white glaze dripping off the sides.

Step by step directions

These vegan gooey monkey bread muffins have 4 major steps:

Step 1 : Prepare the dough. To make the gluten-free dough, first prepare the "vegan buttermilk" by mixing together the coconut milk and apple vinegar in a small bowl. Set it aside while you prepare the rest of the dough.

In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients, add the melted coconut oil, and vanilla and mix until small clumps of dough form.

Stir in the "vegan buttermilk" and mix until a sticky dough forms. The dough will become less sticky after a couple minutes. Let it sit on the counter while you make the cinnamon coconut sugar coating

Step 2 : Roll dough in cinnamon and coconut sugar. With a small cookie scoop, scoop balls of dough and roll each in a shallow bowl with the cinnamon and coconut sugar to coat. Next, place these balls of dough in a muffin tin lined with liners. Each liner should hold 3 - 4 pieces of dough.

Hand rolling ball of dough in cinnamon with a muffin tin of to the side.

Step 3 : Drizzle the maple syrup over top. This is what gives the muffins a little bit of a delicious tacky consistency. Drizzle a little pure maple syrup into each muffin liner. Then bake in the oven until golden!

Hand drizzling maple syrup over muffins in a pan with white paper liners.

Step 4 : Top with melted coconut butter. Melt the coconut butter in a pot or skillet on the stove over a double boiler. I don't recommend microwaving coconut butter as the heat will make it firm up. You can make your own double boiler but placing a small skillet or pot on top of a pot of simmering water. The indirect heat from the simmering water will easily melt the coconut butter.

If needed, add a teaspoon or two to the coconut butter to help thin it out. Once the coconut butter is smooth and silky, drizzle it over each of the muffins and enjoy!

Up close view of a tan muffin with a white paper liner and glaze dripping off the sides.

How to store

These gluten-free monkey bread muffins are best stored in an airtight container. They will keep for up to 5 days on the counter or a 10 days in the fridge. When ready to enjoy, warm up a muffin in the microwave in 8 second intervals until soft.

Single muffin sitting on top of a stack of plates with a fork to the side and coffee in the background.

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PS : If you make this recipe, be sure to leave a star review and comment below! Also be sure to follow along with me on Instagram and Pinterest to stay up to date on all tasty recipes here at The Fit Peach!

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